Communication

• Do they wear a hearing aid? Can they put it in themselves, or do they need help?
• Use clear and simple language and short sentences
• Only ask 1 question at a time
• Give them time to think and respond
• Write down key words – large and clear writing
• Re-phrase what you have said in a clearer way
• Reduce background noise
• Point to things you are talking about
• Use hand gestures to support what you are saying

• Can they use other ways to communicate e.g writing it down, pointing, gesturing etc
• Acknowledge the difficulty
• Ask simple yes / no questions e.g do you want help?
• Give multiple choices e.g. do you want tea or coffee

• Posture – sitting upright
  • Short sentences
  • Slow down
  • Say one word at a time
  • Break words up
• Let them know what is unclear
  • Can they repeat more clearly?
  • Different way to communicate – writing / pointing / spelling
  • Consider environmental factors – noise / TV / radio

Try other ways to communicate other than talking:

• Use speaking strategies
• Facial expressions
• Spelling words
• Look for personal information in hospital passports
• Drawing
• Writing
• Hand gestures
• Pointing to objects or pictures

• Don’t use judgemental or negative language e.g ‘this patient is aggressive’ you could say ‘this patient feels frustrated’.
• Not all patients living with dementia struggle to make decisions – check the progression of dementia first
• Memory loss – don’t expect everyone to remember you, reintroduce yourself at every contact
• They may change their mind on likes and dislikes of food / drink – double check and treat each day as a new day
• Acute illness can temporarily worsen the dementia and something called delirium can affect a person’s mental state e.g sudden confusion or drowsiness